Refrigerating cabinet



REFRIGERATING CABINET Filed Dec. 3. 1929 v 2 Sheets-Sheet l WxW,4 M 4 [5; H a IOINVENTOR P J. E. GLOE'KLER 1,823,444

REFRIGERATING CABINET Patented Sept, 15, 1931 PATENT OFFICE JOHN EDWARD GLOEKLER, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

BEFRIGERATING CABINET Application filed December 8, 1929; Serial N8. 411,266.

. My invention is an improvement in refrig- 'erating cabinets for'containing and exhibiting' its contents, as meats, vegetables, milk,

butter, etc.

Fig. 1 illustrates the construction of the visible content portion of the refrigerator in cross section;

Fig. 2 is a detail section taken on line II-II of Fig. 1;v

Fig. 3 is a complete cross section like,Fig.'1, showing an alternative construction including a lower storage compartment.

In cabinets of the same general kind or character as that involved herein, it is usual and customary to provide a main enclosing chamber, surrounded by walls partly of glass for visual inspection from the front, with means for access to the chamber from the rear and'having' communication with an adjacent refrigerating chamber. Such cabinets are usually more or less elongated, of rectangular form mounted upon a lower supporting base or frame adapted to be arranged in a store room singly or in series in the manner of a counter or counters, for convenient inspection from the front and access from the rear, and

. provided with one or more fiat top portions for placement of merchandise or other articles of different kinds,

In fny present invention I utilize the main essentials of such cabinets, in which there is a genera-l conformityto established construction and design, but I have incorporated in the refrigerator certain special constructions as to the main and supplemental .chambers contributing to efficiency of design and operation as well as of structural advantage and novelty, as hereinafter described. I

I also show a modified construction in 9 which the said main and supplementalcommunicating chambers are incorporated. with V a supporting and enclosing casing embodying a lower storage chamber having a definite rer lated connection with the upper chambers- Referring to the drawings, illustrating the construction in cross section, Figs. 1 and 2,- A is the main food or other articlecontaining chamber located above-a bottom main supporting floor 2 upon which "is laid a compara tively thick body 3v of comminuted cork or other suitable insulating material. Such body occupies and constitutes the main lower bottom portion of chamber A extending between longitudinal timbers or braces 4 carried on the base and arranged backwardly from a'front panel or wall 5, of wood or'other suitable material. I 3

Backwardly from the rear timber 4 the main bottom 2 extendson acommon lane and a similar bottom 6 is co-extensive t erewith to the rear, with a terminal longitudinal panel or covering board 7. The extreme front and rear portions of such base or flooring are mounted upon and supported by any suitable under frame, as postsorlegs' 8.

The top portion of chamber A is covered and enclosed by a relatively narrow longitudinal top 9 of glass or other suitable material, rigidly supported upwardly at the proper height by continuous framing, as metal bars 70. 10. Said bars proj ect backwardly and downwardly along the upper rear portion of the chamber at both ends or at intermediate positions, and then downwardly as at 10a, terminating in off-set flanges or shoes 11. The front of the chamber is covered by one or a plurality, preferably two, ofplates of glass 12 for visibility of the interior, said plates having an intervening air space 13.

The plates are properly framed together at the bottom as by intervening strip 14.

and rest upon the beveled upperedge of the lower front panel 5. The plates 12 extend upwardly at the desiredinclination, terminating below -the-under front portion of top 9, Underneath the top 9 I insert an insulating slab 35, of cork or other suit able material, into which the upper edges of plates 12 are framed by rebated engage 9o ment, as shown. .r 7

At the upper rear portion of the cabinet I, arrange longitudinal framing strips 15-16 resting against and supported by the plural bars 10, which strips provide for sliding mounting-thereon of one or -more ope and closing doors 17 preferably provided a withQglass window plates or panes 18, By shifting such doors to the right or the left the interior cavity may be opened or closed/1Q!) 19 panel 21.

for placement or removal of goods or com-' modities, as meats, butter, etc. Extending laterally back-from the lower strip 16, and framed thereinto, is the rear lower covering top 19 of board or other suitable material, supported underneath its rear edge by the upper framing member 20,

corresponding to the lower panel 7 and connected therewith by the intervening supplemental communicating refrigerating chamberw a. v Said chamber is provided for the purpose of holding refrigerating mate'- rial as ice, or a coil of refrigerating pipes or the like, as preferred. It is. completely 2:0 insulated at top, back, and bottom by relatively thick back and bottom wall fillings 2223 of granulated cork or other suitable insulating material, which portions are continuously stationary and provide incorporated inner wall and bottom members of' the material, forming a portion of and remov rear structure. I

or lower to member 19 is a similar'insulating lining ody 24 of corkor other suitable able with theoutershelf member 19: Said composite member is relatively. movable as by upward lifting or longitudinal sliding, for openingand closing the interior chamer a. F Between the rear insulating bottom 23 and the bottom portion of the main chamber.

' A is a longitudinal strip 25 of wood or other suitable material, resting upon and extending above the member 4 and having an uption of panel 5, such members 25 and 26.

per rounded edge as shown:

At thefront bottom portion of chamber A is a similar strip 26, resting upon member 4 and against the rear upper edge porforming the rear and front comparatively narrowlimiting walls of the main bottom portion of said chamber.

A continuous lining 27 of sheet metal as zinc, copper, or other suitable material,'ex-

tends downwardly at the rear from the in- I ner top portion of rear wall 22 forwardly across the top ofinsulation 23, being rounded at the ear corner as at 28 and similarly 5 rounded as at 29, providing a snug supporting base portion for the shoe 11 of standard 10a of the supporting frame bars 10. Lining 27 is continuously bent upwardly around the upper. rounded edge of bar 25, then downwardly along the front face of saidbar, then at right angles. across the entlre bottom space, resting upon timbers 4 and insulation 3, and'is then bent upwardly at the front atright angles to the bottom 5 and overthe rounded inner upper edge of member 26, terminating inside of the inner.

glass plate 12.

By such construction, utilizing a contin-.-

uous sheet of metal, the entire permanent face portions of chamber a and A are covered and provide a smooth sanitary and serviceable surface, well adapted to the purposes and functions of the construction.

Laid upon the main sheet metal bottom 27 of chamber A is a longitudinal strip or bottom plate 30 of opalite, glass, or other suit-' V cavity between members'25 ,and26 and may Secured'to the under side of rear shelf be loosely mounted therein for removal, or

cleaning, or spacing adjustment, as will be A further advantage of such arrangement 1 5 is that the dimensional proportions and arrangement of the chambers is such as to ensure a material elevation of the smaller refrigerating chamber a above the lower portion of the larger chamber A, so that the circulation of cold air from chamber a to chamber A will be forwardly and downwardly, fol

lowing the usual course of cold air.

The circulation in such manneris therefore outwardly, downwardly and forwardly toward the front bottom portion of chamber A,

between the several supporting strips 31 and underneath the supported articles thereon.

A partition 34 is interposed between chamber A and a, spaced at bottom and top as shown, abovethe upwardly projecting strip 25 and with its upper edge below the inner portion ofthe cover forrefrigerator chamber a. By such construction the circulation of air is better directed and controlled, warmer air entering at the top-and passing outwardly at the bottom.

The partition 34 is-prferably made of glass or other suitable material, and is preferably provided at its front with a mirror general circulation, as indicated by the circulat-ing arrows.

One or more supplemental shelves 32 may be located at convenient positions in the upper front portion of the main containing chamber A as shown, resting upon any suitable brackets at the ends, as will be readily understood.

Arranged adjacent to such shelves, prefer ably underneath as shown, are circulating cooling pipes 33 adapted to maintain refrigerating action around the shelves and for heat absorption action on their .contents. The upwardly ascending currents of Warmer air are thus again reduced in temperature at such zones of location. Additional cooling pipes 33 are similarly arranged alongunderneath the insulating slab 35, at the extreme upper portion .of chamber A, for similar action in assisting further cooling of the upper currents of air.

In Fig. 3 Ishow a further enlarged development; of the construction, utilizing a lower storage chamber B. In such construction front and back enclosing walls 8a extend downwardly to a commomtransverse base 85,

, with a rear opening and closing door 19afor access to the interior. Said walls, door, and base are of wood or other suitable material, conformingto good construction for strength, and enclosing action.

A vertical battery of longitudinal refrigerating pipes 33a is also located within chamber B, preferably along the front wallv 8a as shown. Such pipes areconveniently in circulating connection with the pipes 33 for economical and effective operation, as will be readily understood.

The construction, operation, and advantages of the invention will be readily understood and appreciated from the foregoing description. It comprises 'in its entirety, with either form an extremely'practical, efficient, and continuously serviceable apparatus of the kind involved, composed-of comparatively few parts, easily accessible, and is readily maintained in a clean, sanitary and attractive condition. By reason of the relative arrangement and location of the insulating walls the refrigerating capacity is maintained at its maximum, while the com struction in other respects provides for am ple and easy accessibility to the interior.

What I claim is :v 1. Ina refrigerating cabinet, the combination ofa main base having a front upwardly extending sill, a rear upwardly extending .wall, an intermediate upwardly extending fixedly incorporated dividing rejection proupwardly sloping front wall of glass extending from the front'sill over the major chamber to its-top, acovering shelf for the major chamber on the tops of said rear and front walls, and a continuous sheet metal lining covering the inner rear wall surface and bottom of the refrigerating chamber, rounded upwardly over the dividing projection, and then continued over the bottom surface of the major chamber and the front sill'a'nd terminating upwardly against the inner bottom portion of the front wall.

2. A'refrigerating cabinet as described in claim 1 characterized by the location in the upper front portion of the major containing chamber of supplemental refrigerating coils. 3. A refrigerating cabinet as described in claim 1 characterized by .the location in the upper front portion of the major containing chamber of upper supporting shelves and supplemental refrigerating coils underneath the shelves.

fl. A refrigerating cabinet as described in claim 1 characterized by the presence between the major and minor chambers of a longitudinal mirrored surface partition above the dividing projection with a lower intervenin air circulation opening between the partition and said projection and an upper air circulation opening between the partition and the cover of the minor chamber.

'5. In a refrigerating cabinet, the combination of a main base having a front upwardly extendingsill, a rear upwardly extending wall, an intermediate 11 wardly extending fixedly incorporated divi ing projection providing a major containing chamber and a minor refrigerating chamber, a series of spaced apart individual tapered supporting strips extending from the dividipg partition to the front sill, ashe'lf'coveringthe minor refrigerating chamber and resting on they rear wall, a forwardly and upwardly sloping rear wall extending from said shelf-over the major chamber to its top, a rearwardly and upwardly sloping front wall of glass extend ing from the front sill over the major chamber to its top, a covering shelf for the major chamber on the tops of said rear and front walls, a continuous sheet metal lining covering the inner rear wall surface and bottom of the refrigerating chamber, rounded upwardly over the dividing projection, and then continued over the bottom surface of the major the lower cavity of a battery of refrigerating. pipes, arranged adjacent one of said walls;

claim 5 characterized by the incorporation.

chamber and the front sill and terminating upwardly against the inner bottom portion 0 the front wall, a supporting plate between the sheet metal linin and the supporting strips, and downwar Ty extending walls below the main base ofvthe major and minor chambers connecting with a common sup porting and enclosing bottom and enclo inga lower storage cavity, one of said walls aving an opening and closing door.

6. A refrigerating cabinet as described in claim 5 characterized by the inclusion within A refrigerating cabinet as described in therewith of skeleton supporting frame members, extending upwardly at each end of the cabinet within its end walls from immediately behind the dividing projection, then forwardly inclinedunderneath the rear up per wall, and then forwardly beneath the covering shelf.

signature.

' JOHN EDWARDGLOEKLER; 

